Panel retractor



Jan. 30, 1962 "a. J. LAUNER 3,018,507

PANEL RETRACTOR Filed Jan. 26, 1959 imp INVENTOR. SOL J. LAUNER Attorney Unitd Sttcs atent 3,018,507 PANEL RETRACTOR Sol J. Launer, 20367 Gault St., Canoga Park, Calif. Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 783,926 6 Claims. (Cl. 16-78) This invention relates to slidable panels and the like, and more particularly to. a retraction device for auto matically closing a panel, such as a door, after the door has initially been slid open.

In the building industry, as well as others, it has been common practice to provide a stationary glass window and a slidable glass window wherein the latter window may be slid parallel to the stationary window so that ingress and egress of a building may 'be had. -In order to permit the slidable door to provide an opening to the building without allowing foreign matter, insects and other miscellaneous debris to enter the building, a screen door is generally included which is mounted in a slidable track similar to the slidable glass door and which slides parallel to the glass door to permit passage into or out of a building and yet allow free circulation of air therethrough.

However, difiiculties have been encountered when employing a slidable screen door which stem largely from the fact that it is inconvenient for the person to manually slide open the door, step past, and then manually close the screen door. Inasmuch as the screen door is relatively light in comparison with the sliding glass door, there is a tendency for the screen door to bounce from the door jamb and thereby allow gaps to exist between the edge of the door and the door jamb. In order to reduce the inconvenience of manually closing the door and to prevent occurrence of a gap between the edge of the door and the jamb, it has been the conventional practice to employ a retraction device which automatically closes the door and insures proper abutment of the door edge with the door jamb. However, the conventinal door retraction devices are generally rather complex, sometimes employing pneumatic means and are not altogether readily adaptable to be installed by persons lacking mechanical skill. Installation usually requires the frame of the screen door to be altered or modified in order to adequately support or mount the device. Furthermore, the placement of parts within conventional retraction devices is sometimes very difficult to accomplish and generally requires many adjustments which can only be made by a person having mechanical skill.

It is to be noted that the above difficulties are avoided by an invention covered 'by my co-pending application entitled Panel Retraotion Device, Serial No. 683,804, filed September 13, 1957, now abandoned. However, the device of the present invention offers features which are not covered by my earlier application. My earlier invention and the present invention both provide a retraction device for a slidable screen door which includes a spring having a plurality of coils secured at one end to the fixed or stationary frame and having its opposite end connected to a cable which travels over a fixed pulley terminating in attachment to the non-stationary screen of the door. Bracket means are secured to the screen for receiving the cable so that stress and strain will not cause the screen to tear. However, the present invention further includes an improved pulley system for obtaining a mechanical advantage in order to more easily overcome the friction and weight of the sliding door. Also, the present invention provides a more readily assembled apparatus so that the installation or construction of the retractor may be performed by persons lacking mechanical skill. This present construction calls for a pair of telescoping tubes enclosing the spring and pulley arrangement and is provided ice with means for preventing the twisting or turning of the telescoping tubes in order to prevent and obviate any cord twisting or fouling of the cord with respect to the pulley arrangement. Since one end of the spring is anchored with one of the tubes and one end of the cable is anchored with the other tube, the initial tension on the spring can be easily adjusted by sliding of the telescoping tubes and then firmly securing the tubes in the relative position which provides the desired tension necessary to overcome the various weights and sizes of screen doors and to overcome friction usually encountered with sliding screen doors.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel retracting device for a slidable door whereby the door may be manually actuated to slide to a first position and automatically returned to its original position upon the removal of its manual actuation, the automatic feature of the present invention being provided by a loaded spring and a pulley arrangement offering a mechanical advantage.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel retractor for a slidable door which is simple in construction so that unskilled persons or persons unfamiliar with the installation of mechanical devices may readily install the retractor onto a door or similar structure with relative ease.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel retraction device for a slidable door which incorporates a pair of telescoping tubes which house or enclose the mechanism of the retractor which is provided with a means for preventing the rotation or rotary displacement of the two telescoping tubes so that the retracting mechanism cannot be fouled or inadvertently disconnected.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel retractor for a slid-able screen door which includes a loaded spring and a pulley arrangement offering mechanical advantage, in combination, for overcoming frictional loads on the sliding door and the weight thereof in order to achieve closure of the sliding door over a doorway opening.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel retraction device for a slidable screen door which utilizes a pair of telescoping tubes which can be firmly fixed relative to one another to set the initial tension of the spring required to overcome screen door weight and friction.

These and other objects will be more clearly seen upon the reading of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved invention as it would appear in actual installation;

FIGURE 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional View through the retractor device of FIGURE 1 showing the device mounted between a slidable screen door and a casement;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View of the retractor device taken in the direction of arrows 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing'the means for fastening the retractor to a casement and a portion of the cord and pulley arrangement taken in the direction of arrows 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

With respect to FIGURES l, 2., and 3 a retraction device 9 is shown in accordance with the present invention which is secured to a fixed casement or frame 10 formed in a building or other structure. Casement 10 can be made of wood, for example, and is provided with a member 11, preferably of metal, having two elongated channels represented by the reference characters 12 and 13 which are defined by an inner projection 14- and a pair of outer projections 15 and 16. Channel 12 is employed to retain a slidable door 17 having a glass pane 20 whereas channel 13 is employed for guiding and retaining a sliding door 18.

Channel 13 is employed mainly for providing a track arrangement in which a slidable door 18 having a screen 21 may travel and which extends the full length of the casement 10. Generally, the bottom of the sliding door rests on a lower sill (not shown) of the casement so that the track arrangement defined by projections 14 and 16 serve as guides for the door as well as reducing friction during sliding movement. Preferably, the sill is provided with a plurality of rollers or some type of lubricating compound such as oil, for example.

Secured to the surface of casement is a housing 25 made up of a pair of telescoping tubes 26 and 27 which are mounted on the easement by means of fasteners such as wood screws 28 and 29. A pulley wheel 30 freely rotates on a shaft 31 carried by a frame 32 mounted within the hollow tube 26 by means of screws 33. The pulley wheel projects slightly exteriorly of tube 26 through an aperture 34 provided in one end of tube 26.

Enclosed within the tube is an expandable spring 35 having a plurality of coils wherein one end of the spring is provided with a hook 36 coupled to screw 29. A hook 37 is provided on the spring on its opposite end to hook 36 and is passed through and is received by a looped end 38 of a travelling pulley frame 39. Travelling pulley 39 is provided with a rotatable pulley Wheel 40 over which passes a flexible element such as cord 41. Cord 41 passes through both of the telescoping tubes over the pulley wheel 30 and then through the aperture 34 so that the end of the cord can be secured to an arm of a bracket 43. The opposite end of the cord after passing over pulley wheel 40 is secured to fastener screw 28 by means of a loop end 44.

The .cord may be secured to arm 42 by any suitable means, but as shown in the present instance, it is merely passed through a notch 45 in the arm and provided with a retainer such as a wooden stop 46 suitably secured to the end of cord which is of larger diameter than the notch provided in the arm. An alternate notch 47 is provided to accommodate the cord and stop 46 should the housing be mounted further out from the face of the door frame than as shown in FIGURE 3.

As shown in FIGURE 3, tube 27 is of smaller diameter than tube 26 and is provided with a substantially V-shaped notch 48 extending from one end of the tube to its opposite end. The V-shaped notch 48 is employed to receive an enlarged portion 50 provided in the tube 26 which projects inwardly into the V-shaped notch. The enlarged portion may be formed in many ways; however, in the present instance, the notch is formed by overlapping end portions of the tube 26 so that the outer periphery remains substantially smooth in contour while the inner diameter has the enlarged portion formed by the joined edges of the tube. This construction and arrangement prevents the twisting or rotating of the telescoping tubes relative to one another so that entanglement or fouling of the pulley arrangement and/or spring is obviated.

The bracket is secured to the sliding door frame by means of a pair of screws 51 passing through the bracket which is arranged adjacent the frame. The screen 21 is substantially flush with the face of the door frame and is secured thereto by conventional means such as a resilient seal 52 forced into a channel 53. Preferably, the screws 51 are fastened into the resilient seal, which may be cord, plastic or other suitable material, that binds the screening to the frame. The screws are wider than the seal channel 53 and therefore make their own threads against the sides of the channel and thereby hold the bracket securely in place. This assembly of the bracket can be made on most metal screen doors and eliminates the necessity for drilling holes. It is understood that the bracket 43 can be installed on other door construction with suitable tools,

for drilling holes to accomodate the fastener for the bracket and/or the tubes.

Arm 42 is formed at an angle with respect to bracket 43 so that the distance between the screen and the line of cord travel will remain substantially constant. In the closed position of the door, the pulley 30 is offset from the bracket towards the front edge of the door so that an initial spring force is always present in the door. Inasmuch as housing 25 is comprised of telescoping hollow tubes 26 and 27, the exposed ends of the housing are suitably closed by means of snap closures 54 and 55. These closures are spring loaded by means of spring feet 56 and may be easily removed for repair or installation purposes.

The panel retractor of the present invention permits easy and quick installation for existing screen door installation. To install the device, it is only necessary to mount the telescoping tubes 26 and 27 by fastening the screws 28 and 29 to existing door construction. In the usual installation, the tube 26 is first rigidly attached to the door construction in a desired position by means of screw 28 and thereafter, the tube 27 can be firmly attached in a selected position by means of screw 29. The selected position of the tube 27 relative to the tube 26 will determine the initial tension of the coil spring 35. After both tubes have been affixed and the cord 41 has been attached to the screen door, the action on the spring of the door can be tested to determine if the initial tension of spring 35 has the desired value. If not, the position of tube 27 can be readjusted until the desired initial tension of spring 35 is obtained, at which time tube 27 will be permanently fixed in position. In any relative position of the tubes for adjusting of the spring tension, the end of tube 27 must overlap the end of the tube 26 in order to maintain rigidity of the assembly. If the tube 27 is extended to the maximum allowable amount without placing a high enough initial tension on spring 35, a further increase in tension can be obtained by shortening the effective length of the cable 41 by sliding the knob 46 further from the end of the cable and securing the knob in the selected position by tying a knot in the cable below the knob. Thus, the device of the present invention can be easily adjusted during installation to insure that the spring 35 will have suflicient initial tension to completely close the screen door so that a condition will not arise wherein the door stops short of full closure.

During operation, when the screen door is to be opened in the direction of arrow 60 of FIGURE 1, the screen door is manually pushed in the direction of the arrow, which causes the cord 41 to travel over pulley wheels 30 and 40 within the bore of the tubes 26 and 27, causing a pulling force to be exerted by the spring 35. Inasmuch as one end of the spring is coupled in fixed relationship to the frame by means of hook 36 and screw 29, the spring will expand in the opposite direction to arrow 60 to permit the cord to be drawn from the end of the tube over pulley wheel 30 through aperture 34. When the door has reached the end of its travel in the direction of arrow 60, the spring has stored suflicient energy in its coils to pull the cord back into the tube over the pulley wheel and thereby cause the sliding door to travel in a direction opposite to arrow 60. Mechanical advantage of the overlapping cord and pulley arrangement is combined with the loaded force of the spring so that substantially a constant return force is developed to return the sliding door. The spring 35 is long enough and so constructed to afford considerable adjustability in the initial spring tension. Also, the spring 35 is fiber coated by means of flocking to eliminate any noise which otherwise might develop from contact of the spring with the tubes during panel movement. An adhesive or tacky substance, such as liquid latex or enamel paint, may initially be spray coated onto the coils of the spring followed by applying the flocking thereto by spraying or shifting on the coated area.

It is apparent that because of the manner in which the end of the cord is attached by knob 46 to the door, the cord can be readily disconnected from the door to permit the door to operate free and clear of the spring tension. Thus, the screen door can be utilized either with or without the retracting mechanism as desired without removal of the retractor unit. The engagement and disengagement of the panel retractor with the panel is extremely simple since it requires only manual removal of the end of the cord from the slotted bracket and no tools or other instruments are required for discretionary use of the panel retractor. The panel retractor has a very pleasing streamlined appearance and can be constructed of the same materials and finish as the door construction so that it blends into the door construction to provide a harmonious and unobtrusive appearance. It is apparent that the present invention provides a panel retractor which can be easily installed by the average person without use of complicated tools of any kind since in most installations the telescoping tubes and the bracket on the screen door can be installed with the simplest of hand tools. Various modifications are contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention hereinafter defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A retraction device for a panel slidably mounted in a frame comprising a housing having a pair of telescopic hollow tubes, an expansion spring having one end continually located within one of said telescopic tubes and expandable within said housing, a pulley fixed to the other end of said spring, a cable having one end continually located within the other of said tubes and extending over said pulley and through an opening in said other tube, a second pulley fixed to said other tube located at said opening for guiding said cable through said opening, a bracket secured to said panel adjacent the front edge of said panel, means carried by the other end of said cable for quickly attaching said cable to said bracket, first attachment means for securing one end of said other tube to said frame and for securing said one end of said cable, and second attachment means for securing one end of said one tube to said frame and for anchoring said one end of said spring after the other ends of said tubes have been telescoped into one another and into a relative position which provides for an initial tension on said spring sufiicient to completely close the panel.

2. A retraction device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cable attaching means comprises a knob secured to said other end of said cable, a slot in said bracket for receiving said cable, said knob being held against said bracket by the force of said spring and being adjustable in position along said cable to adjust the initial tension of said spring.

3. A retraction device for a panel slidably mounted in a frame comprising, a housing having a pair of telescopic hollow tubes, an expanding spring having one end continually located within one of said telescopic tubes and expandable within said housing, a pulley fixed to the other end of said spring, a cable having one end continually located within the other of said tubes and extending over said pulley and through an opening in said other tube, a second pulley fixed within the other tube adjacent said opening for guiding said cable through said opening, a bracket secured to said panel adjacent the front edge of said panel having a slot in said bracket for receiving said cable, a knob secured to said other end of said cable, said knob being held against said bracket by the force of said spring and being adjustable in position along said cable to adjust the initial tension of said spring, first attachment means for securing one end of said other tube to said frame and for securing said one end of said cable, and second attachment means for securing one end of said one tube to said frame and for anchoring said one end of said spring after said tubes have been telescoped into one another and into a relative position which provides for an initial tension on said spring sufiicient to completely close the panel.

4. A retraction device for a panel slidably mounted in a frame in openable and closeable relationship thereto, comprising, an expansion spring having first and second ends, said first spring end being secured to said frame, a movable pulley secured to said second spring end, a flexible cord having one end secured to said frame, a pulley fixed with respect to said frame, said cord passing in a first direction from said one end thereof to and then.

around said movable pulley and then in a substantially reverse direction and then around said fixed pulley and then in substantially said first direction to said other end thereof, a bracket secured to said panel adjacent the front edge of said panel and having a slot in said bracket for receiving said cord, a knob secured to said other cord end, said knob being held against said bracket by the force of said spring and being adjustable in position along said cord to adjust the initial tension of said spring whereby opening movement of said panel with respect to said frame will cause said spring to be expanded and whereby subsequent release of said panel will permit contracting movement of said spring to draw said cord and obtain closure of said panel with respect to said frame.

5. A retraction device for actuating a door to a closed position, the door being slidably mounted on a casement for movement of the door to either open or closed position, the door including a frame supporting a flexible screen, comprising a housing including a pair of telescopic hollow tubes, mounting means associated with each tube for securing the housing to the casement, an expandable spring means enclosed by at least one tube fixed on one end to the easement via the mounting means, the spring means having a plurality of coils which store energy in their expanded position when the door is opened, a pulley wheel secured to the interior of the housing adjacent the end of the housing opposite to the end enclosing the spring means, an aperture in the housing adjacent the pulley wheel, a movable floating pulley wheel arranged to freely travel within the housing and coupled to the free end of the spring means, a flexible element having one end secured to the casement by the mounting means and arranged to loop over the movable pulley wheel and to pass exteriorly of the housing through the aperture, a bracket secured to the frame adjacent the screen having an upwardly projecting arm, a slot in said arm for receiving said flexible element, a knob secured to the external end of said flexible element, and said knob being held against said bracket arm by the force of said spring means and being adjustable in position along said flexible element to adjust the initial tension of said spring means.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein the spring means is covered with a soft flocking of acoustic absorption composition to reduce noise during expansion or contraction of the spring means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 312,806 Bruen et al Feb. 24, 1885 1,880,870 Demo Oct. 4, 1932 2,117,928 Wardell May 17, 1938 2,129,338 Timmons Sept. 6, 1938 2,786,240 Tobiasz Mar. 26, 1957 

